Image of the COVID-19 vaccine vial
The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is designed to prevent disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19). The vaccine composition consists of a replication-deficient recombinant chimpanzee adenoviral vector, encoding the surface spike protein gene of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, known as the Spike protein (S protein).
The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine was researched and developed by the University of Oxford and approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization on 15 February 2021. This vaccine has been authorized for distribution and use in numerous countries and territories, including Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, the European Union, Hungary, India, Iraq, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and Viet Nam. As of 8 March 2021, the vaccine has been deployed in 98 countries worldwide.
In Viet Nam, the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine was conditionally approved by the Ministry of Health for urgent needs in COVID-19 prevention and control under Decision No. 983/QĐ-BYT dated 1 February 2021.
Specifically:
+ Vaccine Name: COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca.
+ Active Ingredient, Concentration/Strength: Each dose (0.5 ml) contains: COVID-19 Vaccine (recombinant ChAdOx1-S) 5 x 10^10 viral particles (vp).
+ Pharmaceutical Dosage Form: Solution for injection.
+ Packaging Presentation: Box of 10 vials, each vial containing 10 doses of 0.5 ml per dose.
According to clinical trial results, the efficacy of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in protecting against the COVID-19 pathogen ranges from 62% to 90%.
Vaccine Storage
- Store at 2°C – 8°C; do not freeze the vaccine.
- Unopened vaccine vials stored at 2°C – 8°C may be used within 6 months from the manufacturing date.
- Opened vaccine vials must be used within 6 hours of opening and stored at 2°C – 8°C. Protect from direct sunlight.